Seven Book-and-Food Pairings [Quick Takes]

[Cross-posted at my other blog, Books for Mom]

While of course the classic is

Remembrance of Things Past (Proust) and a madeleine,

please don't scorn

1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Lewis) and Turkish Delight,

2. Jacob Have I Loved (Paterson) and soft-shell crabs,

3. The End of the Affair (Greene) and onions-- maybe onion soup?

4.  Little Women (Alcott) and lobster salad,

5.  The Portrait of a Lady (James) and afternoon tea... "Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable..."

6.  Harriet the Spy and a tomato sandwich,

7.  Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Hardy) and any dairy product....


Can you think of others?  Please comment-- I'd love to hear from you!

[And check out Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!]

[Cross-posted at my other blog, Books for Mom.]

Audiobooks once seemed a little weird to me (uh, listening in the car, or while working out?  I'd miss something important!!!), but motherhood has made me a convert of sorts.  While that fear of "missing something" still makes me hesitate to tackle fresh material via audio, I find that listening to Jane Austen makes the dishes fly and the laundry fold itself.  All right, overstatement-- but you get the idea.

Librivox offers public domain audiobooks for free; and I hear that public libraries lend audio online, too, although mine would require me to download and install a separate application.

The catch to audiobooks, of course, is that you have to find a voice (as well as text) that will agree with you for hours on end.  Weeding through the samples can be frustrating... So far my favorite Librivox readers are Karen Savage and Elizabeth Klett-- each so clear and pleasant!-- who have recorded a great many comfort classics, such as Burnett's A Little Princess, Montgomery's Anne of Green Gablesseries, Charlotte Bronte, and (oh yes!) Jane Austen. 

What is your favorite source for audiobooks?  In your opinion, is an Audible membership worthwhile...?  I've considered it, although the price made me balk.

Here we are! (Quick Takes, February 7)

1.

Me:  "Three-year-old, please help me sweep the floor."

Three-year-old:  "Who's coming over?"

2.

Me (offering two-year-old a bit of candied ginger):  "Would you like to try some?  It's good for your tummy."

Two-year-old (shoving the ginger into her belly button):  "Here you go, tummy!"

3.

Three-year-old (closing the dishwasher door):  "I do ALL your work for you, Mommy!"

One can dream...

4.

Two-year-old (pausing the screamfest): "I upset!  I upset!"

Um, we figured that one out-- and so has the entire church.

5.

Me: "Two-year-old, what kind of cake would you like for your birthday?"

Two-year-old:  "Orange!"

Three-year-old:  "I'm sorry, Two-year-old.  We don't have any oranges.  We just have onions.  It has to be an onion cake."

6.

Three-year-old is currently obsessed with the art-themed storybook Katie Meets the Impressionists-- and so of course, I recommend it!  (Yay, she's chatting to nineteenth-century portraits!  Mickey Mouse, beware.)  We definitely plan to collect the other books in this series.

7.

Me:  "...You'll understand this better when you're driving.  When will you learn to drive?"

Three-year-old:  "Ten."

Me:  "You'll drive when you're ten years old?"

Three-year-old:  "Yes!  And I want a purple car."



Enjoy your weekend!

Seven Quick Takes~ May 10

[hosted at Conversion Diary]

-1-

Mother's Day approaches-- which for us, means compiling another installment of photos for our daughters' birthmom.  And this time, as I sift through onscreen folders, I'm ridiculously grateful for this post by author/blogger Kathy Lynn Harris...!

Reading it, I think back-- and wow, yes, when you put it that way, there's no wonder that the "tangle of my mind" has seemed unusually messy!  We've been through a lot. While adoptive parents work to set aside their own feelings in deference to the birth family (whose sacrifice is unspeakably immense),  we, too, have experienced stress... The validation leaves me teary-eyed.

-2-

By the way, this time I'm also constructing a Shutterfly site so as to share photos continuously with birthmother.  She may find it easier to check in on her own schedule, when her own feelings permit; and we'll appreciate the added convenience, too, once we're over the initial hump of uploading photos from years past.  Hopefully a win-win!

-3-

 Catholic blogger Elizabeth Scalia recommends Save Send Delete (by Polish-American author Danusha Goska) to "Catholic readers in search of good Catholic fiction that reflects something of what it means to be passionately Catholic in a post-Christian, secularist and politically correct era."  I'm intrigued-- especially as the Kindle edition currently goes for only $3.49.  Compare that with $16.96 for the paperback...

-4- 

Speaking of Polish Americans, singer Ewa Angeli has rendered many traditional Polish Christmas carols in English-- probably the first recording of this kind that I've run across!  Interestingly, too (and I don't quite know what I think of this!), she lends the koledy a pop-music, even somewhat "country" sound that pulls them out of context.  They seem modern, American, flimsy:  you'd never guess the age or origin or traditional weight of these songs...  Sad?  A big part of me says yes.  But then, classics are classic because they can withstand re-interpretation without sacrificing respect and cache.  We're meant to live with them...  So, I'm not sure whether I'll purchase or not.  Do I like the results enough to listen at length?  (For what it's worth, her accent is so winning...!)

Here's a promotional sample from YouTube:




And of course, you can also sample individual tracks here at Amazon.  ...Oh yes, her version of "Lulajze, Jezuniu" ("Lullaby Jesus") could grow on me!  Definitely buying that one... Maybe more.  I'm weakening.

-5-

As you see, in the past few weeks I've finally learned how to embed YouTube videos within my posts! So I'll share this wonderful "cruise of the Danube" (our toddlers love it, too!) in a more direct way...






...and also link back to my previous post, in which I identify some of the landmarks shown in this virtual journey from source to Black Sea.

As I wrote once before, I think that this could make an engaging homeschool lesson in both geography and music.

-6-

Mix purchased frozen hash browns with diced ham and shredded cheese (chopped green peppers would be great, too), and return to freezer.   Cook as much as you'd like, when you'd like it.

Why hadn't I thought of this before?  It's so simple.  Add an egg (hardboiled for added ease), and breakfast is ready.

-7-

Finally...  I hate to admit it, but I will:  My husband and I totally forgot that yesterday was a holy day of obligation!  Catholic fail.

Have a great weekend, everyone-- and Happy Mother's Day!

While perhaps I should have planned for May...

... in the end, I constructed a crude, last-minute crown out of beading wire, three small rosettes, and a heavier bead (in back) for balance.  Not perfect, but it does the job.

(This Marian display-- at Grace in My Heart-- is so simple and lovely! The sight of it smoothes my mood and calls up a smile.)

I'm looking forward to our girls' reaction (excitement? puzzlement?) to our church's May Crowning ceremony this Sunday!

Because I have talented friends!

My moms'-group friend Yvonne Jones has written a children's book!  Look for it this Fall.... In the meantime, though, here's a glimpse:

Can I get my act together for Seven Quick Takes?? April 26

It's touch and go around here (isn't it everywhere?), so completing this post will be a minor miracle...!

-1-

Two-year-old is entering the "why?" phase, although right now it manifests as a relentless demand for definition.   "What plate mean?"; "What food mean?"; "What eat mean?"; "What tummy mean?"; etc., etc.-- and all with that adorable driving-you-crazy smile!  Someone give this girl a dictionary...

-2-

On to math:  She counts "poops" in her potty.  While she's going...  As in, she'll be sitting there, and you'll suddenly hear "One!"  Huge smile on her face.  (And someday she'll want to kill me for sharing this!)

-3-

Both of my girls are devouring these Zucchini-Oatmeal Muffins with a gusto usually reserved for goldfish crackers!  I'm astonished, because the titular zucchini and oatmeal are actually filled in with healthy ingredients, such as Greek yogurt, natural applesauce, and wheat flour.  (No oil, and white flour and sugar together form only 25% of the picture.)  While the results aren't fluffy and sweet, they aren't bricks either, and I find that they do very well at breakfast-- in that they're actually eaten. (Long may this last!!)  There's a stash in our freezer...

-4-

Likewise, I continue to be amazed at my two-year-old's enthusiasm for matching games (such as Delena has developed; and these also).  Match one thing to the other, nearly identical thing... My adult mind says "boring,"but apparently she finds challenge in it-- because then she wants to do it again, mama!  These simple exercises are a lifesaver.  

-5-

Remember that laundry pile from last week?  Same pile, different clothes!   At this rate I'll never be rid of it.

-6-

Today, in a fit of optimism,  I seeded bare patches in our back yard-- the work of our labrador retriever, who unfortunately likes to dig.  Fingers crossed!

-7-

Husband's home... I'm done!  (Yeah, I know... cop out.  :)  )



Thanks for stopping by (sorry so mundane!  I'll try to do better), and have a great weekend!!

(hosted at Conversion Diary)

Quick Takes~ April 19

(hosted at Camp Patton)

-1-

I really should be folding laundry.

Instead, I'm using naptime to obsess over Boston news-- between email checks and, of course, blogging.

It's good to have priorities.

-2-

You know that your toddler watches "Blue's Clues" too often, when a pawprint motif (on a dog's bandana) sends her craning her neck for Steve.  "Clue, Steve... STEVE! WHERE STEVE?!"

-3-

Exciting-- this week BBC cited the blog of my good friend Shannan (Tween Us)!!   

The quote pertained to Justin Bieber's visit to the Anne Frank House...  Here's Shannan's original post on the subject.  Adolescent response (see her comments section) made me smile and shake my head, recalling how "mature" I thought myself in high school...!

-4-

Speaking of worthwhile blogs, I've added two to my blogroll--  Living with Lady Philosophy (by a Theology M.A. married to a philosophy professor) and The Accidental Philologist (A.B.D., studying medieval Latin).  Since both authors navigate the academic world as Catholics, I'm thrilled to follow them!

-5-

Back to toddler-isms:

Apparently our two-year-old aspires to the big-kid job of cleaning up after household pets.  "Want pick up puppy poops RIGHT NOW!" she demands, pink plastic shovel in hand...  (Oh, how I wish I could put her to work!)

Someday-- when she views this backyard drudgery with the "enthusiasm" of a sane human being-- I'll remind her of today.

-6-

Years ago, when my husband and I were first married, we endured a job loss and year of unemployment that really challenged our optimism!  And back then, my husband used to say that our theme song was "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (Rolling Stones)... Well, on arriving home Tuesday evening (the day that the Catholic college ended his candidacy), what was the first thing he did?  Load that song, and play it... Before hanging up his jacket.  Before taking off his shoes.

If you try sometimes, you just might find 

you get what you need.

It was like fresh air.

-7-

Along the same lines (comfort), my new favorite flavor: Kroger Private Selection, "Chai Tea with Chocolate Ginger Cookies"

Since when last I declared a favorite (Edy's "Tiramisu") it was discontinued immediately, I'm preparing to campaign for this one.  Try it! Become addicted!  


Thanks for visiting-- and have a great weekend, everyone!  

Coping with a disappointment

He didn't get the job

He didn't get the job.

I just learned this, five minutes ago... My husband called, and I knew from the low, sunken tone in his voice that he was dreadfully unhappy; and when he told me, I realized how much the hope of an offer had buoyed us both for the past six weeks.

Six weeks!  Six weeks since his on-campus interview.  The length of time would have itself crushed our expectations, if there hadn't been significant reasons-- explained to him at the interview, and subsequently-- for extending the search for so long a time. And in that time, we both began to feel invested in that Catholic collegiate community and all of its concerns.  For more than a month we followed the Facebook posts, the Twitter feeds, the student newspaper, envisioning:

A truly Catholic campus, in accordance with Ex Corde Ecclesiae-- Catholic professors and families to be our neighbors, our friends-- their support for homeschooling--  tuition benefits for our daughters, down the road-- the possibility of designing or teaching a course in U.S. Catholic History...  The dream of this is suddenly gone!

Where is my resolution to trust God's Providence?  At the moment, it's overwhelmed by waves of disappointment-- by feelings of rejection, and even (yes) betrayal.  (As if this community owed anything to us....!)

If you can, please say a quick prayer that I'll regain some perspective; and also that I'll be able to emotionally support my husband when he returns home in an hour or so. Right now I am actually crying about this, can you believe it?  I'm crying, and I need to stop and find something else-- some plan for the summer, some organizational scheme or activity for the girls-- to make the future seem more, well, fun.

Seven Quick Takes

-1-

Timman (Saint Louis Catholic) is reading The Power and the Glory; while Delena (It's on My To-Do List) is not reading The Lord of the Rings (which frankly I never finished, either)...

So of course I must be reading-- or not reading-- something as well!  And I manage to cover both in my approach to Les Miserables. Meaning, that I read it off and on, and am currently stuck in Hugo's multi-chapter discussion of the Paris street urchin. Thus far, Hugo really loves the idea of progress; has a problem with cloistered nuns; and evokes Pope Francis in describing the Bishop Myriel, who (for example) converts his episcopal residence into a hospital for the poor.

-2-

At the conference in New Orleans, my husband and I received lots of encouragement regarding our newly-founded historical organization, which we hope will soon launch an e-journal.  I'm a Managing Editor....!  Of something that doesn't yet exist.

(And I'm telling you about it, because telling you will help to motivate me.)

-3-

My manuscript revisions are moving at a snail's pace.  (Again, I'm telling you for the sake of shame-based motivation.)

-4-

I'd given up coffee for Lent-- and oh my, is it good to have that cup of deep-rich-fragrant comfort once again!  Tea smells nice, and I like tea, but... it just isn't as substantial.  Tea is a beverage; coffee is a meal.

-5-

Our two-year-old is having a blast with a few of Delena's printouts!  And while of course she needs help to work them (drawing and tracing are not her strengths right now), I'm amazed at how well she grasps some of the concepts.  

Overall, a worksheet can keep us both pleasantly busy-- and focused-- for longer than I thought possible at this flighty, fidgety age.  Thanks, Delena!

-6-

Oh yes, and may I brag a little (more)?  I mean, I have to make the most of these encouraging moments, right?  Especially since I'd worried that our evening "family prayer" time was an absolute shambles  (you'll see the connection in a sec)...

Our two-year-old has astonished me with plausible renditions of the Our Father and Hail Mary!  True, they consisted only of a few key words and phrases, connected by well-inflected gabble-- but you could recognize the prayer.  Really recognize it!!

And I'd thought she wasn't listening.

-7-

It's (finally) occurred to me that this blog needs more photos.  I'll get on that.... Someday.

Thanks for indulging me-- and have a great weekend!!


PS: "Quick Takes" are hosted at Camp Patton.

Like so many in our area, we're praying for Johnny, a high school senior who was critically injured in an accident last month.  While he emerged from the coma on Easter Sunday, his recovery has only just begun, so.... please keep him (and his family and friends, too) in your thoughts, along with Baby L and others!

Hearing of these needs so close to home, I realize that-- if our girls were in danger-- I'd give anything to return to a "bad" day of endless tantrums and time-outs, nap strikes, spills, whining, and staggeringly potent diarrhea.

Behold the Lamb (Cake)

I'm only posting this because my good friend Shannan was kind enough to ask for a photo...  Not because I'm proud of it or anything.

(Right.)

Since I'm no artiste with pastry (You should see me try to pipe frosting!  It's hilarious), I'll exploit any opportunity to brag small success.

Happy Easter!

Wesołego Alleluja!  Wishing you and your family a joyous holiday.

Our Easter basket, blessed this afternoon (minus a yellow chick that would sneak into the photo!)

Just in time!

For a stretch in my childhood, our Easter celebrations always included a lamb cake.  Did yours?

Nowadays, I find it surprising that one can't just go to Walmart and pick up one of these molds... I mean, even a purely secular celebration usually involves some sort of baby-animal imagery, right?  Is the American public so allergic to religious allusions that stores can't market even the vaguest "Lamb of God" reference?  While I've seen $100 molds at antique shops, I've yet to find a brand-new version on the shelves of a national retail chain.

(Alternatively, it may be that lamb cakes-- like butter molded in the shape of a lamb-- are specific to Polish or Eastern European traditions, and I never noticed because I grew up in a heavily ethnic suburb?  For example, I once thought that everyone went to church on Holy Saturday for the blessing of Easter baskets, and learned only in adulthood that this is a uniquely Polish-American practice...)

Anyway, I went online.  And yesterday-- just in time-- our lamb mold arrived! 

The brand is Nordic Ware.  We'll be baking soon, so I'll tell you how it goes!

...Oh yes, and at the last moment I'd added this Christmasy bundt mold (also by Nordic Ware) to my order:

It's meant to substitute for a constructed gingerbread house.  Online reviews claim that, despite all of those intricate crevices, the cake just slides right out-- so eventually, we'll see.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor

[Photo: Roman Catholic Saints]

Our visit to the Old Ursuline Convent at New Orleans has interested me in the city's patroness!  NOLA Catholics credit Mary, Our Lady of Prompt Succor, with delivering the Ursuline convent from fire in 1812 and saving the city from British capture in 1815.  I hear that she also was invoked in Katrina's aftermath...  If you like, you can read more of her story at the website of her National Shrine, as well as at Roman Catholic Saints (which also posts a litany in her honor).

"Sweetheart"
[Photo: Ursuline Academy]

Museum labels at the convent also tell of a small plaster statue, known as "Sweetheart,"that played an important role in Our Lady's intercession.  For more detail, please see the Ursuline Academy website (scroll down to "Sweetheart Statue").

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Although it's nothing in comparison with citywide disaster, this matter has me praying for some resolution, ASAP!  (Of course, waiting is supposed to help me develop the virtue of patience, etc.-- but we're still on pins and needles here.)

Help me to expand my perspective!  Are there any intentions that you'd like me to include in my prayers for "Prompt Succor"?  Please let me know in the comment box.

In which I weigh in on a crucial matter

Back from New Orleans.  And so...  who offers the better beignet, Cafe du Monde or Cafe Beignet?  (I'm told that this is a French-Quarter controversy-- and there's no need to convince me of its importance!  Why on earth would I trivialize donuts and cafe au lait?)

Despite warm feelings for Cafe du Monde, which (back in 2005) was almost our first stop after a night stranded in the Houston airport, I have to admit that... oh yes, I prefer Cafe Beignet!  The beignets are larger, more pillowy, less chewy.  Also, the atmosphere of the Royal Street location is far more tranquil and "cafe-like" than Du Monde's long lines, crowded tables, and rushed service.

I offer this review with confidence, having sampled both products at different times of day, different days of the week, etc....!  Time to "weigh in," in another sense.

PS:  While it isn't part of the beignet scene, I wanted to further comment that, in my opinion, Royal Blend Coffee and Tea doesn't live up to its online hype.  That "elegant" courtyard is ill-kept (cigarette butts, dead leaves, general shabbiness) and, at the time of my visit, crowded.  Inside, it was a standard hole-in-the-wall coffeehouse, with a decent French roast and muffins wrapped in plastic.  No chicory coffee, to my disappointment...  While I'd planned to sit and read for a while, in the end I stayed for only ten minutes.

PPS:  Yes, this is the sort of thing that I think about!  Sigh.

Obama, take note

Currently in New Orleans (for an academic conference), my husband and I toured the old Ursuline convent in the French Quarter, where we saw, framed on the wall, a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Ursuline community.  Dated May 15, 1804, the document sought to reassure the nuns that the Louisiana Purchase would result in neither the disruption of their school nor the confiscation of their residence:


"The principles of the constitution and government of the United States are a sure guarantee to you that it [your convent] will be preserved to you sacred and inviolate, and that your institution will be permitted to govern itself according to its own voluntary rules without undue interference from the civil authority."


How far today's politicians have strayed from such promises...!

All in The Plan

For about a week or so, my husband has been ending our evening prayers with this supplication:  "Lord, whatever happens next with my job, please let it be the right thing for Rae and my girls."  (Isn't he sweet?)

We're in a rough spot.  Sort of.

My husband teaches for the Department of Defense. However, he isn't a tenured GS employee, but a "Title 10"-- a civilian employment category that allows for layoffs as necessary (or convenient).  Due to military contraction and the budget crisis, last year the college laid off two civilian professors from his department; this year already it announced that a number of additional intended layoffs had been blocked at the eleventh hour; and everyone expects the departure of more civilians in 2014, when (as luck would have it) my husband's contract will be up for renewal.

Plus, there's sequestration.  Most likely he'll be furloughed one day a week, beginning in April.  While I'll love to have him home, it will mean 20% less income for our family.

Anticipating this, he applied for another academic job-- and landed an interview!  It took place last week.... The position is at a small, conservative, Catholic liberal arts college.  Teaching there would be a dream-come-true for him, and I love the idea of raising our daughters in such a wholesome environment!

But now, we have to wait.  (Due to many factors, it will be Easter before we hear of the Catholic college's decision.)  Wait, hope, and trust that we'll land where we were meant to be... even if that means just staying where we are.

I can't possibly know God's will for our family; I know what I'd like it to be, but that may not be what I think is best for us, and best for these two colleges.  So far all of the bumps and obstacles in our lives have pushed us toward some greater good, so we'll be trying very hard to trust that, whatever happens... if he doesn't get this possible job, or if he loses his present employment... it's all in The Plan.

A Modest Post

Interesting-- today my blog roll juxtaposes two very different posts addressing the sexualization of the female body.  St. Louis Catholic discusses the meaning of modesty (and the crucial role of prudence therein), with a comments section that continues the skirt v. pants debate; while Tween Us fills me in on the marketing of lingerie-- yes, lingerie!-- to pre-adolescents.  (And, much as my toddler girls exhaust me at times, right now I just want them to stay at ages 1 and 2 forever.)

My first reaction?   That I might be a lot more worried about ladies in slacks if I hadn't just read about eleven-year-olds in padded bras...!

My second reaction?   ...That (trite observation) these are interdependent issues.  We women are all unduly pressured to present ourselves as "sexual," and sadly pre-teen girls are also receiving-- and internalizing-- these messages.   Yay Feminism, huh?  (Actually, the early feminists would be fuming!)

Third (and still more trite)?  The female body is such a lightening rod for debate! Always.

But... interesting discussions, don't you agree?  Especially when read together.



And btw, while I think that skirts are lovely and feminine, I live in jeans.  Mom jeans.